An interior by Gail Green featured in "An Insider's Guide to Interior Design for Small Spaces...," Zero Circle Publishing.

Green says, “I thought I would put down in writing some of the concepts that I have used in making spaces feel bigger and making people feel good about those spaces and how I create flow. These ideas are particularly important and productive in small spaces, where you need to be especially creative and imaginative.” Green recently put those approaches to use while designing the powder room for the 2015 Kips Bay Decorator Show House. The space stands as a testament to the idea that even the most modest of areas can be transformed into a dynamic and inviting space with a little design magic. According to Green, the powder room, which features graphic black-and-white ceramic tiles, whimsical light fixtures, a bright red mirror for a pop of color, and smart proportions, “didn’t make people feel stifled or constricted, they felt very alive.” She explains, “You must understand the proportions of the space in order to make it feel gracious when you use it. This was a tight, narrow space and you have to be very careful how human scale fits in within its context...I used white on the sides of the bathroom and the patterned tile on the floor and partially up the back wall, allowing the floor to bleed into the back wall, diminishing the separation and bringing the two planes together to make the space feel wider. With visual tricks, you can change the dimensions of a space.”

In An Insider’s Guide to Interior Design for Small Spaces, Green dives deeper into the best practices for enhancing a space, walking readers through four distinct areas -- color and paint, furniture arrangement and selection, lighting, and architectural changes. From budget-friendly DIY tips to an outline describing the differences between decorators, interior designers, architects, and contractors, the book caters to a variety of audiences with a wide range of goals. Although Green wrote the book with younger, more urban types in mind, she believes that An Insider’s Guide is beneficial for “any person who wants to enhance the space in which they live, someone who enjoys coming home to their habitat and has an eye for living well.”

An interior by Gail Green featured in "An Insider's Guide to Interior Design for Small Spaces...," Zero Circle Publishing.

An interior by Gail Green featured in "An Insider's Guide to Interior Design for Small Spaces...," Zero Circle Publishing.

Green’s top tips involve keeping things simple and airy. “Modernist furniture is very welcoming in a small space -- tubular furniture that is light yet functional, like pieces by Eileen Gray or Le Corbusier. Soft monotone colors and neutrals are best with an accent color such as orange, red or blue,” she says. Green also advises that antiques be used as an accent and placed very carefully in order not to disrupt the established harmony in a room. Bare hardwood floors or wall-to-wall carpeting is also best for small spaces. “Once you start adding little rugs it chops up the space and creates visual dissonance -- the eye doesn’t know where to go.” Green also emphasizes the importance of being mindful of a space’s focal or destination point. “What is the first thing people will see when they open the door, whether it’s to your apartment or your bathroom? A completely left out area is the foyer. Even if it's not a separate space, create a distinct entry area using a console, a mirror and a light fixture. It’s important to have a welcoming space when you enter a home."

An Insider’s Guide to Interior Design for Small Spaces: How to Create a Beautiful Home Quickly, Effectively and on a Budget is brimming with other gems from Green. “I wanted to give the reader the basics, the essentials, what they need to understand about design and how space works,” she says, "but I also wanted to give them a little bit of magic.”

Gail Green, the founder and principal of Gail Green Interiors in New York City, is celebrated for her timeless and elegant yet decidedly modern interiors. She lectures widely on design topics and writes on an array of subjects, including art, antiques, wine, food, and luxury goods. Her work has been featured in a number of esteemed publications, including House Beautiful, House & Garden, Elle Decor, and The New York Times Magazine.